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EDITORS’ NOTES

This inventive 1997 album took listeners on a journey that gave props to Joni Mitchell (“Got ’Til It’s Gone”), denounced homophobia (“Free Xone”), and embraced freakiness (“My Need”). From the disarming spoken interludes to the consistent messages of self-acceptance, The Velvet Rope is deeply personal. Jackson shifts nimbly between styles and influences—disco, soul, funk, drum ‘n’ bass—exuding a mature confidence that can make room for vulnerability. The hit single “Together Again” is simultaneously sad and jubilant, just like life itself.

EDITORS’ NOTES

This inventive 1997 album took listeners on a journey that gave props to Joni Mitchell (“Got ’Til It’s Gone”), denounced homophobia (“Free Xone”), and embraced freakiness (“My Need”). From the disarming spoken interludes to the consistent messages of self-acceptance, The Velvet Rope is deeply personal. Jackson shifts nimbly between styles and influences—disco, soul, funk, drum ‘n’ bass—exuding a mature confidence that can make room for vulnerability. The hit single “Together Again” is simultaneously sad and jubilant, just like life itself.